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Web
outreach fuels urban outreach
While this church feeds
the hungry,
its Web site feeds members and seekers
June 26,
2003 -- Seattle First Church, a downtown, urban congregation
with a strong outreach program has reaped the rewards of a
comprehensive Web site: it has brought more than a few people
both to the church and to its extensive outreach ministry.
For example, two
of the people who help serve breakfast each month for more
than 300 of the city's homeless people, were attracted to
that specific ministry through the Web site.
"They were trying
to find some kind of outreach ministry they could do, but
since both travel extensively, they were looking for something
very particular," said Rev. Lisa Anthony, First Church's urban
outreach minister. The church's Web site helped them find
it.
Webmaster Sid Herrick
said the site is aimed at both seekers, like the breakfast
volunteers, and existing members. The church's focus on outreach
is up front on the site, with a short Flash presentation on
the home page detailing First Church's philosophy and commitment
to the community and to social justice.
The site is maintained
by Mr. Herrick and a small team of volunteers who each manage
and edit a section. He has managed the site for more than
three years, ever since he came to the church as a member.
"We get a lot of
anecdotal evidence that people find us through the Web site,"
said Mr. Herrick.
One of the most
popular areas is the sermon section, which offers sermons
in streaming audio or in printable text versions, often on
the same day they were delivered in church. The sermons are
a draw for existing members (who either could not attend church
or want to hear a sermon again), for shut-ins and for Web
surfers who often stumble across a sermon after entering a
topic into a search engine.
It was the sermon
feature that brought another member to the church. That woman
came to the site after a friend in an online chat room recommended
a sermon on the First Church site. She was looking for a solid
church with a well-rounded program, "not a one-trick pony,"
said Ms. Anthony. That visitor, she said, is now one of the
church's committed volunteers, helping out in the church's
breakfasts and other outreach ministries.
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